Table of contents for Issue #59 2022 in Backyard and Outdoor Living

With all the chilly weather of late, you might find yourself daydreaming about summer. Think lunches on the deck, picnics on the lawn, dinner under the stars and lounging by the pool. Now is the perfect time to start thinking about the outdoor space you'd like to create for the warmer months. Having a well-furnished, beautifully decorated outdoor living space makes all of these scenarios much more appealing, and it provides an additional ‘room’ you can use when entertaining. So in our new section, Get the Look, we detail how you can achieve two trendy styles: Mediterranean. Modern and '70s Suburbia. Also in this issue, we give you a rundown of our favourite covered outdoor areas in Best Of — check out the hottest outdoor rooms. Later, our feature story…

1. PANSIES & VIOLAS The beautiful blooms of pansies and violas are an absolute delight in winter. These lowgrowing annuals are available in a rainbow of flower colours, from snowy white to pretty pale blue, mauve, orange and sunshine yellow. Many have interesting ‘whisker’ patterns on their petals, while others have multi-toned flowers or petals with different colours. Traditional violas include ‘Johnny jump ups’, which have masses of petite purple and yellow flowers. Recent introductions include trailing pansies, which spread up to 70cm across and are perfect for filling flower beds or growing in pots and hanging baskets. Head to your local garden centre during winter to choose your favourite flower colours. Feed pansies and violas every one to two weeks with Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food,…

With all the chilly weather of late, you might find yourself daydreaming about summer. Think lunches on the deck, picnics on the lawn, dinner under the stars and lounging by the pool. Now is the perfect time to start thinking about the outdoor space you'd like to create for the warmer months. Having a wellfurnished, beautifully decorated outdoor living space makes all of these scenarios so much more appealing, and it provides an additional ‘room’ you can use when entertaining. “A great outdoor living area is like an extension of your home — it's that extra room we all need when we want to gather with friends or family, or simply take some time out for ourselves,” says Steve Warner, director of Outhouse Design. “A thoughtfully designed, well-furnished space doesn't…

Despite popular belief, balcony gardens cannot be potted up and then forgotten about as the garden can be exposed to high winds, hot sun and extended shade. But by establishing a garden using the right plants, soil and pots, and setting aside a little time to maintain it, you'll have a potted garden that will be the envy of your neighbours. DESIGNING A BALCONY GARDEN One of the most important things about planning a balcony garden is design. Landscape designer Brian fuller, owner of Leaf Stone Water, says good design is key. “Your garden will always be on show every time you access your balcony,” he says. “Perhaps even more importantly, if you love what you've created, you'll spend more time outdoors on the balcony enjoying it.” Balconies are often…

THIS WEEKEND Keeping kids entertained in the great outdoors is high on the priority list for most parents. With lockdowns and internet-enabled devices keeping youngsters engrossed and indoors, it can be tricky getting them to soak up their daily dose of vitamin D. However, an in-ground trampoline is your sure-fire ticket to outdoor fun every time. Specialising in high-quality, durable, in-ground and above-ground products with extended warranties and the best after-sales service, the team at Oz Trampolines will look after you from stationary beginning to bouncy end. One of Oz Trampolines’ most popular models is a European in-ground trampoline designed for easy installation. Requiring minimal excavation and boasting significantly reduced installation costs, these trampolines are built With 22cm German steel springs that guarantee excellent bounce and maximum safety while remaining…

THIS WEEKEND Now with two distinctly different composite timber decking ranges and four types of board to choose from, Futurewood has a product to suit every need. CleverDeck Original composite timber decking has long been a best seller due to the fact it looks like timber but is more ecologically sustainable and lower maintenance. Finished with a coarse sanded texture that makes the product look and feel like a timber plank, it is supplied in long lengths with grooved edges that work seamlessly with Futurewood's concealed fix clipping system. The long boards and easy-to-use clips add further value by reducing installation time, which leads to substantial savings on labour costs. Made from recycled plastic, rice husks and hardwood sawdust, CleverDeck Original composite timber decking has colour pigments running through the…

BEN SHAW'S PERMACULTURE PARADISE, VICTORIA Passionate about permaculture and promoting the benefits of sustainable food production, Ben Shaw tends a garden plucked from our foodie fantasies. The community-minded gardening guru began planting his north-facing backyard garden in Victoria more than a decade ago. From slow and steady beginnings not without a few hiccups, to a backyard bounty capable of feeding family and friends, this garden is a testament to perseverance that is equal parts nutritious and beautiful. Producing healthy and diverse food, the garden proves that locally grown food is better for everyone — the grower, the community and the environment. Ben runs edible gardening workshops, so get in touch if you fancy some inspiration from an expert who walks the walk and talks the talk. benshawpermaculture.com NATASHA MORGAN'S KITCHEN…

THIS WEEKEND The Shaderunner® Retractable Sail System is ideally suited to a range of applications around the home, from outdoor entertaining spaces and patios to swimming pools and courtyards. With a wide range of fabrics and colour options available, Shaderunner® complements all architectural styles, whether that's contemporary suburban homes or traditional country residences. This contemporary home in the Adelaide beachside suburb of Somerton Park is a stone's throw from the seafront and just a short walk to an array of cafes and bars, providing the ultimate in suburban coastal living. The property has a north-facing outdoor area, so the owners elected to construct a functional swimming pool including this stunning Shaderunner® Retractable Sail System. Adelaide's Urban Oasis was engaged to construct the well-designed courtyard pool with its impressive water feature.…

A herb that links the Pied Piper, both world wars and a good night's sleep has to be a clever crop. A medicinal herb with at least a 1000-year history of human use, valerian does all that and more. The tale of the Pied Piper, who purged the town of Hamelin of a rat plague, is cited as an early case of the use of valerian root. Its dank smell, sometimes compared to aged leather, is highly appealing to rats. The Piper may have carried the root to entice the rats from the town. Cats also like the smell of valerian, which is sometimes called cat's valerian, though there's no mention in the tale of felines quitting town alongside the rats. (The Piper later enticed away Hamelin's children, but that's…

The first floral tea I drank regularly was the Persian beverage often referred to as “sour tea”. I call it simply my flower tea. It's an infusion of the calyces of hibiscus flowers — not the ornamental kind but Hibiscus sabdariffa, also known as rosella. The first time I bought it at a Persian food shop, I was warned not to overdo in case I experienced a blood pressure drop. In fact, my slightly elevated blood pressure was the reason I started drinking it in the first place. Other flowers that have turned up in teas or as teas on their own include rose petals blended with black tea, osmanthus mixed with green or white tea, blue pea with lemongrass and, of course, Asian favourites jasmine, chrysanthemum and magnolia teas.…

As we all know, fashion trends come and go, and come back around again. Rearing its groovy head for another go round right now is the retro chic of the '70s. For those of you old enough to remember flared jeans, jungle prints, rattan furniture and an abundance of houseplants, passing through the homewares section of a nursery centre these days is a total time warp. But it's not all bad. The prodigious use of neon orange and acid green has been slightly tempered with more muted hues in these ‘natural’ colours, while the houseplant frenzy was never a bad idea (minus the macramé). It has been suggested that the desire to create a greater sense of community within one's neighbourhood — a nostalgic suburbia within an urban landscape, perhaps…

01. CONTEMPORARY CHIC Styled by Norsu Interiors and designed and completed by Construct Melbourne, this outdoor room invites the homeowners to bring the outdoors in during the warmer months, thanks to expansive bi-fold doors that connect the rear of the house with the outdoor room and beyond. A fully equipped outdoor kitchen guards against “hangry” water fights in the modern, white-tiled pool and spa. Visible from the poolside gym, the pool is surrounded by captivating greenery. Photography by Simon Shiff. norsu.com.au 02. AWNING FAWNING Sometimes, all you need is a good awning and a smattering of strategically placed furniture to create the outdoor room of your dreams. This is especially true if you are dealing with a small area. Take this space, for example, which enjoys a built-in bench, an outdoor dining…

On a picturesque large block in Wonga Park, situated on the cusp of the Yarra Ranges in Victoria, landscape designer David Franklin knew he needed to create something “epic”. He decided to go the resort route, creating a garden that would, he says, “make you question why you would ever need to go on holidays again”. “This is a big property, hence it had to have a grand entrance. There is a big, Sweeping driveway bordered with a classic country-style planting palette and Castlemaine Slate stonework that we hand-chipped. Moving to the rear garden, I flipped the switch, creating a modern resort-style entertaining area and a monster swimming pool and spa for major wow factor.” The rear garden offers myriad places to relax or entertain, starting with a new extension…

THIS WEEKEND The majority of our soils suffer from compaction. Most is shallow, but some may be deeper. In general, our focus on soil improvement is directed to the top 10-30cm of the soil, or the ‘A’ horizon. Common advice suggests we should dig a wide, shallow hole to plant in. This encourages roots to stay near the soil surface where they then struggle with hot and dry conditions. The opposite can also happen with waterlogging due to a lack of dliainage in the shallow hole. And also, the plant becomes reliant on any food source to be provided at the surface. In natural soil systems, plants develop shallow roots, but they can also grow roots two orthreetimesdeeperthantheheightofthe plant. These plants not only access nutrition from the ‘A’ horizon, but…

THIS WEEKEND The HEATSTRIP® collection of electric radiant heaters is perfect for the outdoors and hard–to–heat indoor spaces. As there is typically constant air movement in an outdoor or open indoor area, many conventional heaters rely on convection heating that works by heating the surrounding air. This can be quite impractical, as the heated air can easily blow away with natural air movement. Radiant–style heaters transfer heat directly to objects through infra–red waves. While convection heaters heat the air between objects, radiant heaters heat the surface of the objects themselves. HEATSTRIP® electric radiant heaters are more effective in an outdoor or uninsulated indoor area because they provide targeted warmth directly to the people and objects in their path. Years of research and development, along with a fruitful partnership with the…

Foodscaping fruiting plants into hedges is a creative way to cram more tasty organic food into a garden. And from a design perspective, there's the colour and interest of fruit and flowers. Speaking more generally, hedges can screen out ugly views and noise, add privacy and windbreaks, define boundaries and create garden rooms. Repeated elements tend to be more visually relaxing than using different plants in the one hedge. Edible hedges don't have to be straight vertical walls but can be circular, flowing, low as well as tall, and used to border trees or garden beds. Before you hit the nursery, here are a few things to consider. SOIL PREP AND SPACING According to Morag Gamble, founding director of the Permaculture Education Institute and host of the Our Permaculture Life…